John a



* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEO JOHN A; BROWN, OF MARLBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO F. M. CARTER AND E. L. WHEELER, OF SAME 'PLAOE.

FLOOR-CLAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 248,015, dated October 11, 1881.

Application filed June 21, 18 81. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beitknown that I, JOHN A. BROWN, of Marlborough, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Floor-Dogs, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification. g

My invention relates to a floor-dog or apparatus for pressing floor-boards together before nailing them down upon their supportingbeams; and itconsists in a leverhaving a sharp chisel-like point to be driven into the under floor or floor-beam to act as a fulcrum, combined with a bearing-block connected with the said lever to press against the edge of the floorboard.

The invention further consists in the combination, with the said lever and bearing-block connected therewith, of a holding arm or pawl to retain the lever in position after it has been operated to press together the floor-boards, so that the said lever will not require to be held by the operator while the boards pressed together thereby are being nailed.

Figure 1 shows, in side elevation, a floor-dog embodying my invention, and a portion of the floor operated upon thereby; and Fig. 2, a detail, showing the hearing-block and rod by which it is connected with the lever.

The floor-beam a, of usual form and material, is shown as sustaining an under or lower flooring, 12, such as is commonly laid beneath the upper or finishing floor, c, the boards of which it is desirable to have pressed as closely together, edge to edge, as possible, so that there may be no cracks in the finished flooring. This is accomplished by my improved floor-dog, which consists of a lever, d, havinga sharp chisel-like point, 6 0, to be driven into the under flooring, b, or into thefloor-beam a, or partly into both, as shown in the drawings, the said lever having connected with it a bearing-block, f, to act upon the edge of the floor-board 0 when the lever is turned on its point c'as a'fulcruin.

The said block f is connected with the lever d" by a thrust-bar, 9, having a small tongue, h, entering a mortise in the said block and loosely connected therewith by the pin "5. The bar 9 is pivoted at 2 upon the lever (1, so that as the latter is turned on its point e as a fulcrum in shoulders 5 of which are slightlycurved, as

shown in Fig. 2, to permit an angular movement of the block if necessary for its proper engagement with the edge of the floor-board.

A holding-arm, k, pivoted to the lever d at 6, is pointed at its lower end, 7, so as to be inserted into the floor-board b, as shown, after the board 0 has been moved up as far as desired, so that the said board will be retained in its position after the lever d is released by the operator.

It is obvious that this apparatus can be employed when thefloor-board to be pressed is laid directly upon the floor-beams a, the end, a,

of the lever being then driven into the floor beam or joist a.

By placing the pivoted point 2 of the bar 9.

at a distance above the fulcrum-point e of the lever d, as shown, a larger movement can be produced in the bearing-blockf and board 0 than if the said lever bore directly upon the said board just above its point e inserted in the floor-beam as a fulcrum; and making the bearing-block f of considerable length and loosely connected with the lever prevents th'e'jcrushing and marrin g of the edge of the boards acted upon thereby.

I am aware that a floor dog or clamp has previously been made consisting of a lever adapted to take hold of a floor-timber, and having a bearing-block loosely connected with it and a holding arm or pawl similar to that herein shown, and I do not broadly claim such construction. I am, however, not aware of any previous dog or clamp whichcan be used to press together the boards of an upper or finishing floor after an under floor has been laid.

I claim- The herein-described apparatus for pressing together floor-boards, it consisting of a lever provided with a sharpened or pointed end to be driven by longitudinalmovement of the said lever into a fixed portion of the flooring end and bearing-block, combined with their as a fulcrum, combined with the bearing-block connecting thrust-bar g, pivoted upon the said connected with the said lever to act upon the lever and looselyconnected with the said block, I 5 edge of the floor-board, substantially as desubstantially as described, and for the purpose 5 scribed. set forth.

2. The lever, provided with a pointed or In testimony whereoflhave signedmy name sharpened end and bearing-block connected to this specification in the presence of two subtherewith, combined with a holding arm or scribing witnesses.

pawl to retain the said lever in position after JOHN A. BROWN. [0 the board has been operated upon thereby, sub- Witnesses: J

stantially as and for the purpose set forth. EDWARD F. JOHNSON, 3. The lever, provided with a chisel-pointed ARTHUR L. ATKINS. 

